Love: The Four Principles of SPEA – Philia
by JzanderN
Summary: Welcome to Love: The Four Principles of SPEA. I'm your host, the faceless voice you're imagining to sound like David Attenborough, and today we shall be delving into one of the four forms of love: Philia. (Written for the May 24 Hour Writting Competition in the Star vs. subreddit.)


Love comes in many forms. The love of the material, the love of the family, the love of self. Love that is unconditional, love that is enduring and love that is utterly instinctual.

Hello and welcome to our very serious documentary where we explore the four different types of love that exist in this world of ours and how they affect us as a species. This is Love: The Four Principles of SPEA.

Last week, we delved into storge and how it stems through our families, exploring the bonds we form from before we remember, from birth until death.

Tonight, we shall explore the second kind of love. One less powerful, but no less important than storge. To examine this, we shall look at three teenage girls. Star Butterfly, Jackie Lynn Thomas and Janna Ordonia. Three girls who shared a love of their own.

"I hear that she summoned a moth monster who kidnapped some guy on her first day," Ordonia said.

"Oh, really? Brutal!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Yeah, it wasn't one of the things I shared with my mom," Butterfly said.

"I wish I was that guy," Ordonia sighed.

A perfect example of philia; the love between friends.

"So anyway, there's a great sale on tomorrow in the mall. We should all go together!" Thomas said.

"Can't. It's that time of the month for me," Ordonia said.

Butterfly gasped.

"You mean when you-"

"Yup."

"How are you going to deal with it this time?" Thomas asked.

"Same way I always do; just take it as it comes and wash off the shame afterwards."

"I hope it doesn't stain your shirt again this time," Thomas said, "That took forever to get out."

Ordonia shrugged.

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

"I'm so lucky I don't have to deal with that," Butterfly said.

"Me too. I can't imagine what it would be like," Thomas agreed.

Of course, the way philia is held between females is different than how it is displayed between males. Notice how quick they are to support each other.

"Still, we should go to the shops sometime soon. How about later today?" Thomas asked. "We'll buy as many clothes as we can so the girls who go to the sale tomorrow will have nothing to buy!"

Butterfly flinched.

"Making other girls suffer for things they weren't responsible for? I like your thinking," Ordonia smirked.

"Urf, I can't. I have to do all my work at home I haven't done this year for tomorrow or I'll be thrown in detention again," Butterfly said.

"Ouch."

"Why do I have to do work at home? Can't I leave all my work at school?"

"We feel you, Star," Ordonia said.

"Hey, maybe we can help you out!" Thomas suggested. "Two hands are better than one, so if we help you we could cut it shorter and leave time for the shops after!"

"But I have two hands, Jackie! And I don't write as well with my left!"

As we shall discover later, this level of support – or indeed any level of support – would not be found in a male group.

"Oh, hey Star!"

Speaking of which, it was then that a male entered the group, a particular gender of the species who had varying philia relationships with each of the girls present himself.

This was Marco Ubaldo Diaz.

"Hey Marco!" Butterfly said.

"Miss Skullnick told me to give you this. She found more homework you haven't done."

"[REDACTED BY S&P]!" Butterfly cursed under her breath.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I can help you tonight if you want, two hands being better than one and all that."

"But I have two hands!" Butterfly exclaimed confusedly.

"But really, I'll help you out and then you can have more time in the afternoon free to yourself."

"Aw, that would be great. And then you can come shopping with us!"

It was then Diaz noticed the other two girls in the room.

"Hey, Marco!" Thomas said.

Diaz froze.

"H-hey Jackie."

"What you been up to, Diaz?"

"Oh, you know. Karate, adventuring with Star, growing up…" he said, his voice fading near the end.

The two entered a staring competition, looking deep into each other's eyes for at least a good minute until finally Diaz made his move.

"I-I have spanish class," Diaz said, pointing behind him.

"You crush it, mi amigo mexicano!" Jackie said with a wink, to which Diaz responded with a blink.

He turned around to be met with Ordania's hand slamming into a locker, Ordania herself leaning on it.

"Hey," Ordania said simply.

"Hey," Diaz responded blankly.

"Been working out?"

"Oh, you know. Karate, adventuring with Star, growing up…."

"You look nice."

"Thanks," would have been the response Diaz would have awkwardly given if it weren't for a complex of factors that are too many to digress into here, though the long and short of it is that he stood there, white as his peers, frozen in place with only his sweat to thaw him out.

"I'm going to go that way," he eventually said, pointing behind him towards the long way around Ordania. And then he did exactly that. As he did, unknowingly to him, he was followed by the gazes of three girls, each watching as he walked away, their thoughts kept secret to themselves..

Ah yes. Yet another type of love. But that is another story.


End file.
